FTA: The Berkeley-led team will attempt to build a time crystal by injecting 100 calcium ions into a small chamber surrounded by electrodes. The electric field generated by the electrodes will corral the ions in a "trap" 100 microns wide, or roughly the width of a human hair. The scientists must precisely calibrate the electrodes to smooth out the field. Because like charges repel, the ions will space themselves evenly around the outer edge of the trap, forming a crystalline ring.

Great... now I need to go google what time symmetry means, then figure out how a rotating ring of ions can "break" that.... which probably means I should look into that whole crystal vs space symmetry thing for a more concrete examples.... welp, there goes the afternoon.

So, let me get this straight: Normal crystals break spatial symmetry because the atoms which make them up can only exist in certain points in space at any given time. With these time crystals, they break temporal symmetry because the atoms can only exist in certain points in space at certain specific times, thus forcing them to move as the spot that they were in is no longer a viable location to exist at in the overall system.

LrdPhoenix:So, let me get this straight: Normal crystals break spatial symmetry because the atoms which make them up can only exist in certain points in space at any given time. With these time crystals, they break temporal symmetry because the atoms can only exist in certain points in space at certain specific times, thus forcing them to move as the spot that they were in is no longer a viable location to exist at in the overall system.

That's the idea. While the experiment is starting at the atomic level, though, it may be that the effect can only be realized at certain scales. I'm thinking Planck length, to be honest. Or we could just find a quirky source of particle teleportation. Why do the atoms/particles/etc have to traverse the empty space?